Discovering Albert Einstein

“What would I see if I rode a beam of light?” (Levenson 48). For many years Albert Einstein's question has floated in an out of the minds of the curious. Echoing from place to place and bringing about a reservoir of answers all emanating from a man few have appreciated and fewer still have understood. For over a century the discoveries and writings of Albert Einstein have opened the eyes of many to unknown truths about the world in which we live and inadvertently impacted the lives of millions. Einstein's genius didn't come about by chance. In fact it was quite the opposite. As a child, Einstein was often interested by physics puzzles (Bodanis 3). This interest was fostered by his father Herman Einstein and his uncle who where some of the pioneers of German electricity. Einstein said, “My father and uncle wanted to make their fortune by bringing electric light to the streets of Germany” (“Einstein's big idea” 4). Einstein was surrounded by the machines in his fathers shop. He said, “From an early age I loved to look at machines, and understand how they work” (“Einstein's big idea” 4). This led to a fateful day when his interest was guided to some greater questions. “I experienced a miracle when my father showed me a compass. There had to be something behind objects that lay deeply hidden” (“Einstein's big idea” 4).

As he grew so did his interests. As is evident from his grades, he was mostly interested in math and science. He was also a violinist with a great sense of humor. He was well liked by his peers and dreaded by his professors “Teachers over the years had been irritated by his lack of obedience, most notably Einstein's high school Greek Grammar teacher, Joseph Degenhart, the one who has achieved immortality in history books through insisting that "Nothing would ever become of you"” (Bodanis 2). Ironically, Einstein always remembered those words and kept them with him almost trying to gain Degenhart's respect as well as challenge him.

His dislike for teachers continued through his university years. Due to his new found social and romantic relationships, his academics suffered. However some of his new friends had a positive affect on him. Among these was Marcel Grossman, a student with a wonderful skill for note taking. Some of these notes saved Einstein. During this college time, Einstein married a fellow student, Mileva Maric. However, before they married Mileva became pregnant. They gave their first child up for adoption. In addition to his family matters, Einstein was having trouble securing a job. Once again, Marcel Grossman came to Einstein's rescue with a position at the Patent Office. Grossman's help was necessary, not because of Einstein's bad final grades in college, but because one professor, furious at Einstein for cutting class and telling jokes had spitefully written a bad reference for him (Bodanis 5).

Einstein had very little free time. When the work day was over, the only library in Bern was closed. He felt very discouraged. Most of his time at work was filled with work and occasionally watching trains out the window. “When he did have a few free moments during the day, he would scribble on sheets he kept in one drawer of his desk-which he jokingly called his department of theoretical physics. However, his supervisor kept a very close eye on him, so his drawer was rarely open” (Bodanis 3). Everything was building, growing to a point that hurt Einstein physically and emotionally. Although he was unable to study new physics, he still thought a great deal about what was already known and accepted. Extraordinarily enough this examination of the foundation of physics is what led to the greatest discovery of the 20th century. Although most of the Theory of Relativity was compiled in 1905, the concepts had been on Einstein's mind for years. “As early as 1899, Einstein, as he indicated in a letter to Mileva, had suspected that the classical Newtonian Model of the universe was at fault” (Bodanis 1). In 1905 ideas started collecting every part of his mind. Trying to bring some rest to his mind, Einstein took a walk with his old friend and sounding board, Michele Besso.

If Einstein could prove that either Newtonian mechanics or Maxwell's equations were incorrect, his daydream of racing a beam of light would be like a loose thread in a sweater that unravels (Kaku 1). After discussing every aspect of Newtonian Mechanics and Maxwell's equations with Besso, Einstein announced that he was exhausted and defeated and would give up his entire quest to find which of these theories were correct and which was incorrect (Kaku 1). Although Einstein was depressed by his quandary, his thoughts were still churning in his mind. He remembered riding in a streetcar in Bern when he realized the key to the entire problem (Kaku 2). “That night Einstein still couldn't quite grasp it, but the next day he suddenly woke up, feeling "the greatest excitement"” (Bodanis 4). “Einstein recalled, "a storm broke loose in my mind." The answer was simple and elegant: time can beat at different rates throughout the universe depending on how fast you moved” (Kaku 2). “The day after this revelation, Einstein went back to Besso's and without even saying hello, he blurted out, "Thank you, I"ve completely solved the problem.'” He would proudly recall, “An analysis of the concept of time was my solution. Time cannot be absolutely defined, and there is an inseparable relationship between time and signal velocity” (Kaku 2). There it was in a flash, the theory that change the world was born. Within six weeks the General Theory was written and the ever famous E=MC^2 had arrived. A few weeks later they were published for the world.

Within no time Einstein was scheduled in lecture halls throughout the country. This new found fame drove a deeper wedge between Albert and Mileva. The Einstein's marriage ended in a painful divorce. In his loss, Einstein devoted himself to his work and soon was writing even more theories.

All this occurred as another man was rising in fame. Hitler took over Germany and the Jewish Einstein realized he had to leave. He moved to the United States. However, back in Germany, some of the best scientists were still working with Einstein's E=MC^2 and discovered an incredible secret, Einstein's equation could be used in uranium. A very small amount of mass could be transformed into a huge amount of energy. When the scientists moved to the United States, they joined Fermi in what would be known as “The Manhattan Project.” “In 1939, two years before America's entrance into World War II, the physicists; Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard and Eugene Wigner wrote a letter to President Franklin Roosevelt, warning of the danger of "a nuclear chain reaction in a large mass of uranium that could lead to extremely powerful bombs of a new type” (Quinn 1).

They were right. The atomic bombs, which were used on Japan, destroyed two cities in the blink of an eye. In the time since its discovery, Nuclear power has become the world"s most powerful and feared energy. Nuclear plants are still few in number, but many suggest they will soon replace fossil fuels. Scientists are still working diligently to discover new and better uses for Einstein's equation.

As a poor German patent clerk, Albert Einstein changed the world and wrote a portion of the future. His work has inspired many discoveries and further research. Whether or not people know it, Einstein has become a part of their lives.